Daris did not react when Riven turned to him.
"I'll settle your commission," Riven said, keeping his tone even. "But I'd prefer the rest of this conversation to stay between us."
Daris glanced between him and Leah, then gave a small nod. There was no curiosity in it, only the quiet understanding of how business moved once it crossed a certain line.
"That's fair," he said. "Just remember my percentage still applies to anything that comes out of this introduction."
"I'm not going anywhere, you'll get what's your's."
"Then we're good."
He picked up his ledger, slid it under his arm, and stepped away without lingering. He didn't look back. By the time he merged into the crowd, the table felt more isolated than it had a moment ago, despite the same noise pressing in from all sides.
Leah watched him go, then shifted her attention back to Riven.
"Now that we're alone," she said, "what exactly are you trying to set up?"
Riven leaned back slightly, letting the question sit for a moment before answering.
"I'm looking for a long term retainer," he said. "Not some one time commission. More like a partnership."
Leah's expression didn't change much, but her posture did. She stopped lounging and sat more upright, her attention narrowing.
"That's a broad way to say you don't want to pay per job anymore," she said. "People usually start there when they realize how expensive information gets."
"I don't mind paying," Riven said. "But I can't pay you upfront like your usual jobs, your pay scales along with the size of our operation."
"That's a lot of risk you are asking me to take on our first meeting" She said doubtfully, not believing this job is gonna workout but wanted to at least hear it out till the end.
"Progress and risk come hand in hand."
Leah studied him for a second, then nodded faintly. "So you want someone who can keep you ahead of the market."
"Yes."
"And you think that's me."
"I think there are quite a few number of people who can do that." He paused, "But I believe you can be the most discreet and fly under the radars."
She didn't react to the compliment, but she didn't dismiss it either.
"And what does that look like, from your side?" she asked. "Because people ask for that kind of work all the time. Most of them don't understand what they're actually asking for."
Riven rested his hands loosely on the table.
"I won't ask for exclusivity right away but i do want priority," he said. "If I give you work, it comes first. Anything tied to me stays with you. No passing it along, no letting my name get attached to things I didn't approve."
Leah let out a quiet breath, something between a laugh and a sigh.
"That's not a small request," she said. "You're asking me to cut off other buyers whenever you decide to show up, and to take on the risk of keeping your business quiet. That's two separate costs."
"I'm not asking you to drop everything," Riven said. "I'm asking you to shift how you take work. If I bring something, it gets handled before you move on to anything else."
"And if I'm already in the middle of something?" she asked.
"Then you finish it. I'm not interested in creating delays for the sake of control. I'm very considerate in some ways." Riven said with a small smile.
Leah didn't find that very funny but she considered his proposal, her fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table.
"And the privacy part," she said. "You understand what that means from my end?"
"It means you don't talk about me," Riven said. "Not to other buyers, not to people trying to buy from you, not to anyone asking questions."
"And if someone's paying well for those questions?"
"Then you turn it down."
She watched him carefully. "That's where most people lose me. Information is my product. You're asking me to refuse sales."
"I'm asking you to treat mine differently," he said. "Not for free. For better work, selling steady work for a one-time payout isn't good business."
Leah leaned back again, this time slower, thinking through it instead of dismissing it. She couldn't find anything wrong with what she was hearing from the man in front of her.
"People usually come to me with simple jobs," she said. "Track a shipment, check a stall, find a seller. You're describing something broader, but you're not telling me why."
Riven knew this question was coming, it's not easy for people to suddenly start working outside their routine. But he had a pretty good reason for his actions.
"Because I'm done working at the bottom," he said. "Right now, I'm buying what's left after other people make their moves. That's not sustainable if the people making those moves start noticing me."
Leah's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "What exactly are you trying to track?"
"Movement skills are disappearing," Riven said. "Stamina is following. Perception is starting to thin out. It's not random."
Leah didn't interrupt.
"I want to know who's buying first," he continued. "Which stalls are emptying before the rest. Whether it's one group or several. And where those skills go after they're bought."
Leah's gaze sharpened in a way that confirmed she already understood the implications.
"That's not small work," she said. "If someone's controlling supply, they're doing it quietly. People like that don't appreciate attention."
"I'm not asking you to draw it openly," Riven said. "I'm asking you to notice what's already there."
She shook her head slightly. "You make it sound like it's a video game. There's always overlap. You follow patterns long enough, someone notices you're following them."
"Then price the risk properly," he said.
Leah studied him again, longer this time.
"You're not asking for a single job," she said. "You're asking for a working arrangement."
"True"
"And you're not offering upfront payment."
"No, I'm not"
"Then what are you offering?"
Riven didn't rush the answer.
"Better work, higher stakes." he said after a moment. "Work that leads somewhere instead of ending at the next sale."
Leah let out a quiet breath through her nose.
"That sounds like a pitch," she said. "I hear those more often than you'd think."
"I'm not asking you to believe it," Riven said. "I'm asking you to test it."
She tilted her head slightly. "How?"
"A trial assignment," he said. "You take this job. You keep it private. If it's not worth your time, you walk away. No obligation after that."
"Let's say something interesting does happen," She said. "What do we do then?"
"Then we sit down again and set terms that make sense for both sides. A legitimate partnership."
Leah didn't respond immediately.
Her attention drifted for a second, scanning the street behind him before returning to his face. When she spoke again, her tone had shifted—less dismissive, more measured.
"I did notice quite a few abnormalities in the market," she said.
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
"It's as you said, someone's manipulating supply," she said. "I don't have a full picture yet, but I've seen enough to know it's not just random buyers getting lucky."
"What have you seen?"
"Most skills are not even reaching the stalls anymore," she said. "And especially when a new dungeon opens, the supply generally goes up, but it's different this time."
Riven listened without interrupting.
Leah continued, "There's also been more quiet movement near the inner lanes. Not obvious enough to draw attention, but consistent if you know what to look for."
"Names?" he asked.
"Not yet," she said. "If I had those, I wouldn't be sitting here discussing a trial. That kind of information sells for a lot."
Riven found that believable enough.
Leah leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.
"You really want to enter this cage?" she asked. "You picked the worst time to get in."
"I didn't have the liberty to pick the time." He sighed. "But yeah, I'm sure"
She held his gaze for a moment longer, as if checking whether that answer came from confidence or impulse.
Then she nodded.
"Fine," she said. "I'll take the job."
Riven didn't speak, letting her define the terms.
"I'll bring you something concrete," she continued. "Not guesses. Something you can act on. If you can make it worth the risk I take getting it, we talk again."
"And the conditions we discussed?"
"I can promise that for this job," she said. "Anything tied to you stays with me. I don't pass it along, and I don't attach your name to anything unless you say otherwise."
Riven nodded. "That's more than enough."
"My price goes up if this gets complicated," she added.
"That goes without saying."
Leah stood, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
"If this turns out to be a waste of time," she said, "I won't come back to explain why. I'll just move on to something that pays better."
"I'm guessing that won't be the case."
She studied him for a second, then turned and stepped into the flow of the street, disappearing into it with the same ease she had shown when she arrived.
Riven remained seated for a while after she left.
He reached into his coat briefly, feeling the weight of the money Daris had handed him earlier, then let his hand fall away. That kind of money would keep him moving for a while.
It wouldn't be enough for what came next. He stood, pushing the chair back into place.
The pattern was clear now. Skills were being gathered before the market could react, and people had already started asking questions about anyone who might interfere with that.
Staying where he was meant waiting for those two lines to meet and him getting caught in the cross-fire.
He stepped into the crowd, becoming unnoticeable the moment he did. If he wanted control, he couldn't keep reacting to what others had already decided.
He needed to start moving the pieces on the board earlier. That meant building something that didn't depend on scraps or timing.
It meant building something others would have to follow, whether they realized it or not.